Duncan’s big scare serves as reminder

SALT LAKE CITY — Tim Duncan tumbled to the floor at Oracle Arena on Monday night, and Antonio McDyess — a man who would know — recognized all the tell-tale signs of catastrophe.

Duncan was writhing in pain. He was clutching his knee. He wasn’t getting up.

“I was scared for him,” said McDyess, whose own medical chart bears the scars of career-altering knee injuries.

McDyess also was a little scared for himself.

“I thought, ‘How many minutes am I going to have to play now?’” he said.

What at first looked to be something season-threatening for Duncan, and for the Spurs, turned out to be nothing more than a hyperflexed left knee.

So uneventful was his injury, in fact, Duncan was cleared to return in the second half. After the Spurs completed a 113-102 victory over Golden State, Duncan seemed almost sheepish about the consternation he had caused.

“I just fell wrong,” said Duncan, 34, who barring setback is expected to play tonight at Utah. “It feels fine.”

In the end, Duncan’s severe-knee-injury-that-wasn’t served to underscore how fortunate the Spurs have been en route to an NBA-leading 38-7 record.

In a league in which injuries are a way of life, the Spurs have been healthy enough to start the same lineup in all 45 contests. The only significant injuries they have faced have been to a rookie guard (James Anderson) and a reserve big man (Matt Bonner).

Last season, due to a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich used 25 different starting lineups. Players say the consistency of roles this season has been vital to the Spurs’ success.

Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) is helped off the floor by DeJuan Blair after hurting his left knee Monday against Golden State. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)

“That’s the health factor right now,” Duncan said. “We’re able to stay healthy and stay on the court, and that’s translated into wins.”

Admittedly, there is a chicken-and-egg effect at work here.

Are the Spurs winning more because Popovich’s rotations are more consistent, or are Popovich’s rotations more consistent because the Spurs have been winning more?

“If we’d been in a bad stretch, I think there would have been changes like this,” Manu Ginobili said, snapping his fingers. “Since it’s working, Pop isn’t going to fix what isn’t broken.”

Indeed, part of the reason Popovich engaged in an overload of button-pushing last season was because the Spurs struggled early. At this point a season ago, they were 27-18.

This season, it has been Jerry Sloan’s turn to tinker. Tuesday night in Los Angeles, Utah’s venerable head coach used his third new lineup in as many nights, hoping to stem a four-game slide.

Popovich acknowledges a consistent January rotation is foreign territory for him.

“Usually, we don’t know what the hell we’re doing until after the All-Star break,” Popovich said.

Monday in Oakland, with Duncan writhing, it appeared fate finally was going to force Popovich’s hand.

The Spurs have never made it through an entire season with Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker playing 82 games together, and don’t expect it to happen this year.

So when Duncan’s knee buckled late in the first half, most figured the other injury shoe had finally dropped like an anvil.

When Duncan walked to the locker room under his own power, and later told Popovich he was OK to play, the coach remained skeptical. He allowed Duncan back into the game under the strictest of orders.

“I told him if he felt the slightest pain, any tweak, if it stiffened up on him at all, to let us know and we’d get him out,” Popovich said.

Duncan didn’t make a peep. He played more than 16 minutes of the second half. Tonight in Utah, unless something unexpected happens, he will again head out for the opening tip and take his place on the Spurs’ Mount Rushmore.